February, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
109 
Both during winter and summer, shower the leaves fre¬ 
quently with as forceful a stream as possible, to prevent 
scale and mealy bugs getting a start. Keep the leaves and 
stems clean by wiping off every once in a while with a soft 
cloth and soapy water, syringing with clean water after¬ 
wards. 
Although the number of palms cultivated is very large, 
very few indeed—only about a dozen — will give satisfactory 
results in the house. The fact that a palm will live — or 
rather take a long time to die — under abuse, has misled 
people into thinking that it does not need as much care as 
other house plants. This is a mistake. 
Palms may be considered in two classes: the fan-leaved 
and the feather-leaved, or deeply cut, sorts. Of the former 
there are but three sorts good for house culture. 
Latania Borbonica, the Chinese fan-leaved palm, is the 
best known. It is one of the hardiest, standing a tem¬ 
perature as low as forty-five degrees at night. It is broad 
in habit, and the large leaves are deeply cut and drooping 
at the edge, 
making a 
Aspidistra linida variegata has handsome, 
white striped foliage and withstands un¬ 
favorable conditions 
desirable for the house than Latania 
Borbonica. It requires more heat, how¬ 
ever, and should be kept up to fifty-five 
degrees at night if possible. 
Chanuerops excelsa has the distin¬ 
guished feature of forming shoots at 
the base, thus having foliage where most 
palms are bare, and in old specimens un- 1 
attractively so. Its leaves are shaped 
like those of Borbonica, but are smaller, 
and the leaf stalk is longer in proportion. 
It is a good strong variety. 
Many of the feather-leaved palms are 
of more recent introduction than the old 
favorite fan palms, but they have won 
their way to a growing and deserved 
popularity. 
Phoenix Rccbelenii is one of the new¬ 
est. It is destined, I venture to say, to 
become the most popular of all palms for 
the house. It has frequently been de¬ 
scribed as having the “beauty of Wed- 
very attract¬ 
ive appearance. 
Livistona ro- 
tnndifolia, the 
Miniature Fan 
palm, is a more 
compact type of 
the above; not 
only the leaves 
but the whole 
plant being round 
in habit and 
growing quite 
dense. It is a 
beautiful, lively 
green in color, 
a n d making a 
neater plant, is in 
many ways more 
The rubber plant is perhaps the most popular of indoor foliage plants, but 
it needs intelligent treatment to acquire a good appearance 
delliana and the hardiness of Kentia.” That perhaps describes it, 
but does not do it full justice. It has several times the amount 
of foliage that Cocos Weddelliana has, and is a more robust 
grower. Unlike that palm, it has leaf stalks growing all the way 
to the bottom, the lower ones gracefully recurved and the upper 
ones spreading airily. It is very easily cared for and on the 
whole wins on a larger number of counts than any other house 
palm. 
Phoenix rupicola has gracefully arching, drooping foliage and 
is very handsome, the dark green leaves being even more feather¬ 
like than those of Cocos Weddelliana. It is also one of the 
hardiest. 
Areca Verschaffeltii is unique in having a creamy colored mid¬ 
rib. It must be given the best of care, but will well repay any 
extra pains taken with it. 
The Kentias, K. Belmoreana, the thatch-leaf palm, and K. 
Forsteriana, the Curly palm, are the hardiest of all the house 
palms and sure to give satisfaction. The 
former is of dwarf, sturdy habit, with 
broadly divided, dark green leaves borne 
up well on stiff stems. K. Forsteriana 
is of stronger growth, spreads more, and 
the divisions of the leaf are broader. 
Cocos Weddelliana is the most artistic¬ 
ally graceful of the house palms. The 
finely cut, feathery leaves spring well up 
from the pot and from the slender, erect 
stem. It is a small palm and grows slow¬ 
ly. I think I should give it a place among 
the three choicest palms for the house, 
although, unfortunately, it is not as hardy 
as some of the others. It is the best palm 
to use as a center for fern dishes. 
Seaforthia elegans, the Australian 
feather palm, is a tall growing and 
stately variety, which does well in the 
house. 
Caryota urens is commonly known as 
the Fish-tail palm, and on account of that 
distinguishing characteristic deserves a 
place in any good collection. It is a 
Cyperus alternifolius, the umbrella plant, has 
exotic beauty, though it is easily grown 
large growing sort and will utilize more 
root room than most of the others. It 
is not so strong as most of the others 
